PG Monthly Newsletter: Part 2 (2000-06-07)

by Michael Cook on June 7, 2000
Newsletters

========
Subject: Project Gutenberg Newsletter Pt 2
From: "Michael S. Hart" <hart@prairienet.org>
To: "Project Gutenberg mailing list" <gutnberg@listserv.unc.edu>
Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 16:23:13 -0500 (CDT)


**This is Project Gutenberg's Newsletter for Wednesday, June 7, 2001**
[This is such a long Newsletter is is broken into 2 parts, this is #2]

[Moderators. . .while I feel this news is an important part of this
Newsletter. . .you have my permission not to include this portion.]

Notes from News Scan

[MCI] WORLDCOM PAYS $3.5 MILLION TO SETTLE "SLAMMING COMPLAINT"
Long-distance company WorldCom Inc. is paying $3.5 million to settle an
inquiry by the Federal Communications Commission into 2,900 complaints from
persons charging that WorldCom telemarketers switched them away from other
phone service carriers using a deceptive practice known as "slamming."
WorldCom president Bernard J. Ebbers says the slamming incidents "were
perpetrated by a few sales employees who have since been terminated."
(Washington Post 7 Jun 2000)  [Not a cent went to the "slammees."]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10351-2000Jun6.html

CHINA ARRESTS WEB SITE OPERATOR
Police in the Chinese city of Chengu have arrested 36-year-old Huang Qi on
suspicion of "subverting state power" by operating the Web site
www.6-4tianwang.com, which publishes information about human rights problems
and corruption in China. If tried and convicted Huang could be imprisoned
for more than ten years. (Reuters/San Jose Mercury News 7 Jun 2000)
http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/internet/docs/72937l.htm

AT&T WINS APPROVAL FOR PURCHASE OF MEDIAONE
The Federal Communications Commission gave conditional approval of AT&T's
$58-billion planned acquisition of the MediaOne cable group, but will
require the combined entity to comply with a rule barring any company from
serving more than 30% of the nation's market for subscription-TV services,
including cable and satellite. To meet that requirement, AT&T could sell off
its stake in the Liberty Media Group, or its 25% share of Time Warner cable
systems, or its own cable systems serving almost 10 million customers. But
even after AT&T complies with the FCC's requirement to pare itself down, the
company will be the nation's largest provider of long-distance telephone and
cable TV service. (Washington Post 6 June 2000)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3009-2000Jun5.html

BRUSSELS LOOKING TO CLOSE WEB TAX LOOPHOLE
The European Commission is expected to adopt a proposal this week that would
eliminate a loophole used by merchants outside the EU to avoid levying the
Value Added Tax (VAT) on their customers. Currently, U.S. companies can sell
intangible items such as digital music, software and information over the
Web to buyers in Europe without having to worry about being accountable for
the VAT. The Commission now wants to treat sales of those items in the same
way it does books, CDs and other tangible purchases, which are already
subject to the VAT. The U.S. has pushed for relief for American companies,
but the director of tax policy at the EC says e-commerce should be treated
like any other form of commerce and no concessions should be made.
"Obviously, the U.S. will have a problem with this as American companies
will be taxed despite having no physical presence (in the EU)," says the
president of KPMG-European VAT & Customs Services. (Financial Times 5 Jun 2000)
http://www.ft.com/

INFOTECH IS DRIVING THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
A new report from the U.S. Commerce Department says that digital
technologies have become the driving force of the American economy,
accounting for one-third of overall economic growth in the last five years
and making the country more productive. During that time computer prices
fell 26% a year, infotech investment doubled, technology industries invested
$45 billion in R&D, and the number of people in the world with Internet
access increased a hundred-fold, to more than 300 million. (New York Times
Cybertimes 6 Jun 2000)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/cyber/capital/06capital.html

BOOKSELLERS IN WARY TRUCE WITH DIGITAL COMPANIES
There are 60 digital providers at this year's BookExpo America convention in
Chicago, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos is the feature speaker, and the
convention offerings include seminars with titles such as "ePublishing
Today" and "Retailing eBooks and Books on Demand." Although some booksellers
are in shock about the decision to ask Bezos to be the keynote speaker, the
president of the American Booksellers Association says that most people
acknowledge that the choice of Bezos "reflects some of the changes in the
book industry." (AP/San Jose Mercury News 31 May 2000)
htp://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/ap/docs/51596l.htm

LAWSUIT CHARGES CBS WITH STEALING IDEAS FROM WEB COMPANY
Entertainment Network Inc., which operates a Florida-based Web site that
paid college tuition for a half dozen women who agreed to have cameras
situated throughout their group house sending 24-hour-a-day live video feeds
of all aspects of their daily lives, is suing CBS and Infinity Broadcasting
for allegedly stealing the site's marketing strategies and technical
expertise. CBS and Infinity, who are developing a similar program called
"Big Brother," say the suit is frivolous. (AP/New York Times 1 June 2000)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/biztech/articles/01voyeur-lawsuit.html

 ##MITNICK LAWYERS SAY SPEAKING BAN VIOLATES FIRST AMENDMENT
Ex-convict network hacker Kevin Mitnick, out on parole but forbidden by the
court to write or speak about the computer industry, is being represented by
New York attorney Floyd Abrams, an expert on the First Amendment to the
Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.
Abrams has been retained by publisher Steven Brill, who wants to use Mitnick
as a columnist for the Contentville Web site. (CNet/New York Times 25 May 2000)
http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_0_4_1951220_00.html

LATIN AMERICA BETS ON WIRELESS
Latin America's population lags behind Europe and the U.S. in terms of
online users, but that may soon change.  The new users won't be logging on
via a PC, however -- they're much more likely to access the Internet via
wireless phones, a market that's growing at an impressive 30%. The switch to
wireless access eliminates the need to plunk down $1,000 or more on a new
PC, and could jump-start the Internet revolution in that region. While 90%
of Latin American households have a television set and cable penetration
approaches 50% in most countries, only a small percentage of middle-income
households are online -- a statistic that has stymied the expansion of
e-commerce in the region. "As a businessman, I want to be able to invest in
a place where I will be able to sell the Internet to most people, not just
the few that are rich," says one Argentine-born entrepreneur. "What I love
about investing in Europe is that it has the richest poor people of the
world." (The Standard 9 May 2000)
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,14920,00.html

INTEL COURTS "OPEN-SOURCE" MOVEMENT WITH NEW CHIP
In an uncharacteristic move, Intel plans to release over the Internet
technical details of its new Itanium microprocessor, in a effort to boost
the use of the Linux operating system with its chips. The Itanium Processor
Microarchitecture Reference, to be released today, includes nitty-gritty
details such as how the chip manages data memory. Previously, details like
this were closely guarded secrets, made available only to a few partners,
like Microsoft, who were forced to sign nondisclosure agreements. Linux, an
"open-source" operating system whose technical details are made freely
available to software developers and engineers, is increasingly found on the
servers that Intel hopes will soon be using its chips. Itanium, previously
code-named Merced, is due for release in the second half of this year and
marks Intel's first major new microprocessor design in nearly 15 years.
(Wall Street Journal 10 May 2000)
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB957908075498923116.htm

BILL CRIMINALIZES DRUG LINKS
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote this morning on
the Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act, legislation that
would affect some Web sites because it restricts the publication
of information about illegal drugs.  Marv Johnson, legislative
counsel for the ACLU, says the act raises serious First Amendment
concerns.  A section of the bill prohibits teaching or
demonstrating how controlled substances are manufactured.  The
House and Senate both have their own versions of the bill.  A
number of House Judiciary Committee members are in favor of the
Senate version.  The Senate version would require ISPs and other
hosting companies to respond to government complaints by
shuttering offending Web sites on 48 hours notice.
(Wired News, 9 May 2000)

DOT-COMS INVADE THE DORMITORY
In the tradition of Dell Computer and Microsoft, more and more
college students are running dot-com businesses out of their dorm
rooms--despite some school polices forbidding such enterprises. Past
prohibitions on student business stemmed from the noise and confusion
created in merchandise-based transactions - a student selling T-shirts out
of a dorm room, for example. But today's student entrepreneurs use computers
and cell phones to conduct business quietly and their activities are less
disturbing to their roommates. Some school tech staff watch levels of
Internet traffic to try to ferret out those doing business online.  But
student entrepreneurs set up off-campus post office boxes, use cell phones
and non-school Internet addresses, and meet prospective investors in
restaurants to avoid detection.  And even when they are caught, some schools
do little more than lecture them. (Newsweek, 15 May 2000)

BATTLE OVER DVD CODE MOVES TO HYPERLINKS
In a case that could hold widespread ramifications for free
speech on the Internet, the Motion Picture Association of America
and other top movie studios are requesting a federal judge grant an
injunction that would force 2600 Magazine to remove controversial hyperlinks
from its Web site.  The hyperlinks provide information about DVD encryption.
The movie studios contend that the encryption codes are trade secrets, but
civil liberties advocates such as the Electronic Frontier
Foundation argue that the codes are free speech protected by the
First Amendment.  This is just the latest round in the battle
between the movie studios and New York-based 2600 Magazine.
Months ago the studios were granted an injunction that prohibited
the Web site from displaying information about the DVD
encryption.  Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Robin Gross
says the injunction the movie studios are seeking would chill
free speech. (Newsbytes, 4 May 2000)

INTERNET GENDER GAP HAS CLOSED IN U.S.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 46% of Web surfers are now
female, compared with just 18% in 1996. Much of the "gender gap" has closed
in the last six months, during which 9 million American women went online
for the first time. After surveying 3,533 adults in March, Pew researchers
concluded that men and women spent roughly equal time online, with women
tending to frequent health and medical sites, and men using the Net to
research product information and trade stocks. The findings mirror those of
another market research study released last month by the Angus Reid Group of
Vancouver, Canada, which said American men and women spend equal time
surfing the Net and placing online shopping orders. And in contrast to some
earlier reports, the two recent studies found that being online contributes
to social interaction and family connections, rather than fueling isolation
and depression. "The Internet is not isolationist; it's 'connectionist,'"
says Pew official Lee Rainie. (Los Angeles Times 11 May 2000)
http://www.latimes.com/business/20000511/t000044476.html

U.S. HOUSE VOTES TO EXTEND NET TAX BAN
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 352 to 75 yesterday to extend the
moratorium on Internet-specific taxes for another five years. The current
ban was set to expire in October 2001. The Internet Nondiscrimination Act
also repealed a "grandfather" clause that had allowed 11 states to collect
Internet access fees imposed before the ban was enacted. The moratorium does
not prohibit a state from collecting taxes on sales of goods by sellers who
have a physical presence in that state.  The legislation has sparked sharp
disagreement between those who feel the moratorium hurts small
bricks-and-mortar retailers and states that need the sales tax revenue, and
those who want to foster the fledgling e-commerce industry. (ECommerce Times
11 May 2000)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles20000/00511-3.shtml

NETWORK SOLUTIONS TO OFFER "PRE-OWNED" NAMES
Network Solutions is expanding its Internet domain name registration
business to include "pre-owned" names ending in .com, .net and .org. Dozens
of Web sites have entered the resale market in the last few years, giving
cyberspeculators a venue for auctioning off names they've registered,
sometimes for millions of dollars. Network Solutions says it will offer its
new service for free during an introductory period, and later plans to fold
its resale business into its existing name search and registration process.
(Los Angeles Times 15 May 2000)
http://www.latimes.com/business/20000515.t000045842.html

CHINESE FINANCIAL SITE PUNISHED FOR "SPREADING RUMORS"
The China Finance Information Network, a local Web site, has come under fire
from the country's Internet Information Management Bureau, which was
established in April to monitor Internet content. The site was fined
US$1,800 and suspended for 15 days for "spreading rumors" damaging to the
government's image. The transgression appears to be the publication in March
of a Hong Kong newspaper article about corruption by a provincial official
in Hubei. Bureau chief Wang Qingchun was quoted in the Liberation Daily
saying that pending rules on Internet content could limit Chinese Web sites
to publication of news originating only from authorized reports in the state
media. (Financial Times 15 May 2000)   http://www.ft.com/


WHEN IS A DATABASE MORE THAN A DATABASE?
Upstart Jurisline.com is being sued by legal publisher Lexis for copying the
CDs containing court opinions and related documents that Lexis sells and
distributing the same information free on its Web site. For decades, the
database of legal material has been marketed by two companies -- Reed
Elsevier's Lexis and Thomson Corp.'s West Publishing -- which charge premium
rates for access to a single document and reap millions of dollars a year in
subscription fees from the nation's law firms. Jurisline.com, on the other
hand, distributes the information for free, making its revenue on
advertising. At issue in the court case is whether Lexis's license agreement
prohibiting the purchaser from developing "a database, infobase or other
information resource" is legally enforceable, given that the materials in
question were written on the taxpayer's dime and can't be copyrighted. A
federal judge is expected to rule today in the case. (Wall Street Journal 15
May 2000)
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB958348989291026253.htm

TRADEMARK-THIS DOT-COM
A study of trademark applications submitted to the U.S. Patent & Trademark
Office shows that the number of applications between 1994 and 1999 increased
more than a thousand-fold, from just 307 in 1994 to 33,731 in 1999. In
addition, the number of trademark applications with the ".com" domain name
went from 4 in 1994 to 12,000 last year. A partner in the Philadelphia law
firm that conducted the study sees some confusion up ahead: "There are
similar trademarks pending with garden.com, pets.com and others of that ilk.
The real question will be what happens when you have a generic.com and
someone else comes real close. What happens when you stick on an i, or an e,
or make it a plural?" The government's trademark policies are posted on
www.uspto.gov. (New York Times 15 May 2000)
http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/biztech/articles/15pate.html

BRITS UNFAZED BY DOT-COM FRENZY
A new survey by FT.com shows the British public has little interest in
Internet startups -- only 7% of the 2,000 people questioned said they
aspired to be part of the dot-com industry, and only 3% said they'd give up
their current jobs if they had a good idea for a startup. Most people
surveyed did not think the Internet will have much of an impact on their
jobs, with only 5% worrying that changes brought about by the Net could
affect the future of their careers. Even the get-rich-quick scenario failed
to draw much interest -- only 12% of respondents said they envied dot-com
millionaires, while 22% said they were overrated and overhyped and 18% said
they were just opportunists looking for a quick buck. "Too many people by
far are alienated by the Internet rather than empowered by it," says Michael
Foster, managing director of FT.com. "They don't want to be part of the
dotcom revolution, they don't want to invest in it and they don't understand
the technology. It is the responsibility of business and the media to
communicate the rewards the Internet can offer in a way which connects with
people." (Financial Times 22 May 2000)  http://www.ft.com/

JAPANESE PREFER TO LOG ON VIA PHONE
Figures released by Japan's three cell phone operators -- NTT DoCoMo, Nippon
Ido Tsushin Corp. and J-Phone -- indicate the number of Japanese cell phone
users with Internet access will top 10 million by the end of this month,
making the mobile phone Japan's most popular means for accessing the Web.
DoCoMo says it has 6.92 million subscribers to its iMode service, and is
adding about 20,000 new users a day. iMode subscribers can exchange e-mail,
do online banking and surf among more than 7,000 Internet sites set up for
mobile phone access. (Reuters/TechWeb 22 May 2000)
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/reuters/REU20000522S0002


GROUP TO PROPOSE DIGITAL COPYRIGHT CHANGES

[Right. . .this is "Progressive Policy". . .talk about hiding
your true ideology behind an extremely evasive oxymoron. . .]

The Progressive Policy Institute is expected to meet with Congress on
Wednesday to deliver its proposed remedy for the current legal wranglings
over copyright infringements via the Internet. The changes include:
requiring Internet companies to collect personally identifiable and
verifiable information from their users, rather than allowing them to sign
on anonymously; setting a specific time frame for removing
copyright-infringing materials off the Net; and allowing judges to grant
injunctions against companies such as Napster whose services are
substantially used for exchanging pirated material. (Los Angeles Times 22
May 2000)  http://www.latimes.com/business/20000522/t000048299.html

G-8 TACKLES CYBERCRIME
[In case you wondered why Gnutella has gotten so much air time. . . .]
Envoys from the world's leading industrialized nations and private business
met this week in Paris to discuss cooperation in fighting Internet-based
crime, but widespread differences in national approaches could stymie
efforts. At the heart of those differences is the degree to which
governments are willing to monitor the Net for illegal behavior, which
inevitably occurs at the expense of citizens' privacy. In addition,
e-commerce businesses tend to discourage more government involvement, which
they view as a menace to both economic growth and individual liberty. On
April 27, the Council of Europe published a draft treaty proposing uniform
international law enforcement standards in cyberspace, including the
requirement that all messages and content sent via the Internet be stored
for three months before deleting. That proposal has met with mixed reactions
among both governments and industry representatives. The U.S., which held
observer status during the drafting, has not endorsed that proposal. (Los
Angeles Times 18 May 2000)
http://www.latimes.com/business/20000518/t000046914.html

RECOMMENDATION COULD DERAIL WORLDCOM-SPRINT DEAL
[Not that MCI-Worldcom and Sprint aren't already way too powerful. . .]
Federal antitrust lawyers have sent the U.S. Justice Department a formal
recommendation against WorldCom's $115-billion buyout of Sprint, arguing
that the deal would harm competition by combining the nation's second and
third largest long-distance carriers and creating a dominant entity in
Internet switching services. Justice's antitrust chief, Joel Klein, who has
not yet taken a position on the merger, has asked to meet with the
companies' lawyers next week to hear their side of the story. The deal could
still be consummated if WorldCom and Sprint are willing to agree to
significant divestitures to protect competition. A spokesman for the
companies said he's confident the deal will "go through and that all of the
various regulatory reviews will be concluded by the fall." The acquisition
is also under scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission and the;24r
European Commission. (Wall Street Journal 18 May 2000)
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/article1.htm

LYCOS ACQUIRED BY TERRA NETWORKS
[More mergers. . .in case you didn't realize this happens EVERY day!!!]
Internet portal company Lycos will be acquired in a $10 billion or more
stock swap by Terra Networks, the Internet arm of Spanish telephone company
Telefonica, with German company Bertelsmann taking a stake in the combined
company. Annika Alford, an industry analyst with the research firm IDC, says
that Terra's interest in Lycos represents a shift from its current efforts
to dominate Latin America to "a broader international focus." (Washington
Post 16 May 2000)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9121-2000May16.html

AOL TO LAUNCH FREE ONLINE SERVICE FOR SCHOOLS
[Let's not forget it was kids who "invented" the Internet as we know it]
[Let's also not forget that AOL "invented" Gnutella, and once the genie
was out of the bottle, hastily reversed their direction. . . .]
America Online is set to launch its new AOL@School service -- a free version
of its regular service that will include e-mail, instant messaging, and
information resources designed for elementary, middle-school and high-school
students. The free service does not include Internet access, but rather is
targeting schools that are already wired with high-speed hook-ups. The
AOL@School service will not feature advertising, but will offer marketing
pitches for school supplies and other goods in areas aimed at teachers and
administrators. (Wall Street Journal 16 May 2000)
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB958436442629078285.htm

NOTICING MARCH TO E-PUBLISHING, MAJOR FIRMS CHOOSE TO LEAD PARADE
A burst of announcements today will signal that the electronic publishing
revolution is just a few years away. Best-selling author Michael Crichton's
new thriller "Timeline" will be made available through an arrangement
between Microsoft and the publishing companies Simon & Schuster (a unit of
Viacom) and Random House (a unit of Bertelsmann). In a separate development,
Time Warner's publishing group is creating two new startups, iPublish.com
and iWrite to seek authors of material to be published in electronic form.
Robert E. Baensch of New York University says: "The large conglomerates
realize now that they better learn by doing rather than to continue to
observe not one, not 5, not 50, but hundreds of startup.coms that are
entering this market." (New York Times 23 May 2000)
http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/biztech/articles/23books.html





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E-NOVEL APPROACH PROMISES NEW CHAPTER FOR BOOK LOVERS
Electronic books might look and feel just like traditional books
within the next several years, due to companies such as E Ink
that are advancing the technology.  E Ink, a small company
founded by MIT researchers, is working on flexible electronic
paper that looks and feels like standard paper, and electronic
ink that can change into different characters.  E-book users
would be able to change the book's content by plugging the device
into a phone line or wireless receiver.  Currently, E Ink is
using its technology to make indoor signs, since large letters
are much easier to produce than the small letters required for a
book.  J.C. Penney, Eckerd drugstores, and Yahoo! are all using E
Ink signs.  As E Ink refines its technology, it believes e-books
will be possible by 2003 or 2004.  E Ink's displays are more
readable than any electronic display, and require little power to
change content.  In addition, the displays stay on even when the
power is off, so an E Ink book would not need to be powered after
the user has loaded content.  Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center
is also working on e-book technology, but E Ink appears to be in
the lead. (USA Today, 9 May 2000)

INTERNET OFFERING ECONOMIC LIFELINE TO RURAL SOUTH
The rural South is starting to reverse its low-tech image as many
small towns work to provide Internet access for residents and
businesses that see the region's growth potential.  The historic
town of Thomasville, Ga., recently purchased its local utilities
to provide inexpensive, reliable Internet access.  Thomasville's
high-tech push led food-processing firm Flower Industries to move
its data-processing business to the town.  Another small Southern
town, Conway, Ark., is home to a top database-marketing service
called Acxiom with more than $700 million in annual sales.
Meanwhile, Blacksburg, Va., gave all of its residents free
Internet access in the early 1990s and now has over 70 percent of
its population using the Internet on a regular basis.  Rural
markets are eager for access to technology, since utilities such
as cable companies have traditionally neglected these regions in
favor of more densely populated and therefore profitable areas.
Building up technology in small towns is also viewed as a way to
alleviate some of the overcrowding in urban areas.
(Christian Science Monitor Online, 3 May 2000)

E-WORDS ARE TOUGH FOR FRANCE TO SWALLOW
French officials are trying to prevent American terms associated
with the Internet from entering the French language.  Officials,
particularly those from the Academie Francaise, which has been
defending the French language since 1635, are afraid that if firm
action is not taken to protect the language, French translations
of Internet terms will be rejected in favor of American versions.
Recently, the French Finance Ministry produced a list of
acceptable French vocabulary for the Internet age, which was
created by a government commission after long talks with the
Academie Francaise.  The list provides correct versions for
increasingly common words.  Although these terms are just
recommendations for the majority of French people, they are
mandatory for public declarations and official documents.
Meanwhile, the Academie Francaise has been working on its own
"Dictionary of Official Terms," which will be mandatory for
government use, including public schools, where many children
encounter the Internet for the first time. (USA Today, 1 May 2000)


RURAL SCHOOL IS NOW WIRED TO THE WORLD
The Internet is helping rural schools overcome isolation in
Wyoming, a state so sparsely populated that 19 of its 234
elementary schools have fewer than 10 students this year.  This
school year Wyoming became the first state to provide Internet
access in all of its public schools.  One beneficiary of the
technology is nine-year-old Diamond Forbes, the only student in a
one-room elementary school in Kaycee, Wyo., who uses an iMac to
surf the Web to keep up with third graders in larger schools.
Wyoming, where job growth is slow and many college graduates
leave the state, has not yet capitalized on the tech-driven
economy.  Recognizing the need to provide children with job
skills, Gov. Jim Geringer five years ago spearheaded the effort
to bring Internet access to all Wyoming schools, which has cost
$25 million so far.  By next month, Wyoming plans to have all of
its high schools connected to a two-way interactive video system
that will allow students to participate remotely in classes their
schools do not offer. (New York Times, 4 May 2000)




UNIVERSITIES SEE WEB AS TOOL TO SELL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Hoping to supplement waning federal research funds, universities
are selling their intellectual property online.  Using
traditional means, universities have been largely unsuccessful in
their efforts to sell their research; in 1998, just three cents
of revenue was generated from every dollar spent on research
initiatives.  Universities attribute this poor return to
inexperience in the market and an emphasis on department
interests rather than market requirements when performing
research.  A new online intellectual marketplace, called
UVentures.com, aims to improve university efforts to sell
intellectual property by connecting buyers and sellers online.
The marketplace is expected to generate more purchases than
traditional methods, because it links a greater variety of
interested parties.  The marketplace is also expected to make it
easier for companies to search for available intellectual
properties.  "We welcome with open arms this ability to find
technology by browsing a single site," says Bob Johnson, a
commercial analyst at biotechnology firm Onyvax Limited.
(InternetWeek Online, 1 May 2000)



EDUCATION REASSESSED IN WORKER SHORTAGE DEBATE
The high-tech industry, complaining of a severe labor shortage,
is reconsidering the importance of a four-year college degree for
certain types of IT workers.  Four-year universities are often
unable to keep up with rapidly changing technology.  As a result,
lobbyists and recruiters are turning to community colleges and
for-profit schools, which seem to be more flexible and less
expensive than traditional schools, says Harris Miller, president
of the Information Technology Association of America.  Industry
observers say some technicians and support staff do not need the
same level of education as software developers, for example.
(EE Times Online, 4 May 2000)

COLLEGES GET BAD GRADES FOR WEB SITES
Prospective college students say, on average, university and
college Web sites do not provide the information they need.
BreathingLife.com Director of Operations Bonnie Matheney says
higher education Web sites often have big files and badly placed
scripts, as well as high-resolution pictures, which make
downloads much longer.  Her company intends to offer assistance
and information to college and graduate applicants.  Case Western
Reserve University dean of admissions Bill Conley says college
Web pages tend to be bandwidth-heavy because the schools have
faster connections than their audiences, so even a focus group
reviewing the site on campus will get a different picture than
those elsewhere.  Student Stacey Recarba researched schools
online, and found--after waiting for the pages to download--that
she could easily find information about the schools' athletic
programs, but application information was much more difficult.
Matheney notes that schools have so many different groups within
themselves and so many different groups they want to reach that
forming a coherent message can be a major challenge.  She
recommends that someone from the information services support
staff be appointed Webmaster to track usage, assign URLs, and
keep the system running. (Interactive Week, 1 May 2000)

E-MAIL PRODUCTIVITY GAINS = $9,000 PER EMPLOYEE
Ferris Research has released the results of a study designed to quantify the
costs and benefits of e-mail, and estimates that the overall benefit in
terms of increased productivity equals about $9,000 per employee. Rather
than treading into the murky area of nonquantifiable benefits, such as
improved decision-making, Ferris attempted to focus on items that delivered
a tangible benefit, like time not spent on addressing snail mail envelopes,
operating postage and fax machines, etc. It derived a 15% to 20%
productivity improvement, with an overall increase of 326 hours per employee
on the average. Ferris then attempted to quantify those hours, giving them a
value of $13,000. Then came the downside: Ferris found that employees waste
on an average 115 hours dealing with nonproductive e-mail, translating to a
loss of about $4,000 per worker a year. Subtract the loss from the gain, and
the result is an overall benefit of $9,000 per employee, or a 15%
productivity gain. Ferris says that rate can be raised to 20% by more
actively managing company e-mail systems: discouraging personal e-mail,
shortening e-mail distribution lists, and helping workers identify and trash
spam. (Investor's Business Daily 25 May 2000)

AOL, WORLDCOM TEAM UP
America Online and WorldCom have signed an agreement to market AOL's
Internet services to WorldCom's residential local and long-distance
customers. WorldCom's Internet subscribers will be offered at least six
months to convert to AOL. (Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times 25 May 2000)
http://www.latimes.com/business/20000525/t000049364.html

LOAFER-TRACKING SATELLITES IN DENVER
Following a TV news report showing some city employees playing cards and
sleeping on the job, Denver officials want to spend $1.5 million to track
Public Works Department and other city vehicles through Global Positioning
System (GPS) satellites originally developed for the military. Denver labor
lawyer Ellen Kelman opposes the plan: "There is no system that will prevent
some individuals from engaging in abuse. But do we want to infringe on the
rights of all to catch a few scofflaws?" (AP/USA Today 23 May 2000)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cth959.htm

OUTSMARTED, TOYSMART PULLS THE PLUG
The most recent of several online toy merchants to shut down, the
Massachusetts-based educational toy retailer Toysmart.com, owned in large
part by Walt Disney Co., has announced it is going out of business.
Forrester Research industry analyst Seema Williams says, "Toysmart.com never
even came close. They didn't do anything wrong, but they were just the wrong
company selling the wrong product at the wrong time." The company was unable
to compete with larger companies such as eToys, Amazon.com, and ToysRUs.com,
which offered wider selections of merchandise and had larger advertising
budgets. (AP/Washington Post 23 May 2000)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53319-2000May23.html



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